CampaignMonitor has looked at over 30 billion emails and collected data, finding that Mondays have the highest open rates and Tuesdays have the highest click rates.
This can be a starting point for your own campaign. You should also test other days when you send your emails and compare the open rates. Also, keep an eye on your unsubscribe rates. You need to find a delicate balance between open rates and unsubscribe rates. Also, keep in mind who your subscribers are.
For example, say you have a list of retired people who spend their day meeting up with friends or playing pickleball. Sending them an email in the morning may not be effective as they won't be available to respond. It's better to send a message early in the evening, when they'll check your messages before going to bed. The best time will depend on your customer persona. Finding the right time may require some testing and seeing what times get the highest open rates.
Another study by Omnisend, which analyzed over 2 billion emails, showed that there was little difference between emails sent on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays: Tuesday's open rate of 11.36% was just 0.03% higher than Wednesday's open rate of 11.33%, and only 0.07% higher than Thursday's open rate of 11.29%.
Additionally, Omnisend has determined that Tuesdays have the highest open rates, while Fridays have the highest click-through and conversion rates. Naturally, you want to close the deal, so it's important to know which days have the highest conversion rates. Test different days of the week to find the one that works best for your company and email list.
When is the best time to send marketing emails?
Just as there are good days to send emails, there are also best times to send them. As mentioned before, knowing your target audience is the first step. Getting the timing right increases the chances that your email will be opened and your message will be well received.
The Omnisend study looked at emails sent throughout the day. The highest open rate was at 8pm with 59.46%. The next highest was at 2pm with 45.39%. Open rates were also good late at night with 40.66% open rate at 11pm. What's interesting about this study is that the highest open rates were seen during these times specifically, and not the times before or after.
Similarly, the 2023 HubSpot report surveyed over 150 marketers and found that the best email engagement times were 9am to 12pm and 12pm to 3pm.
